Israel Reopens Restored Fortress From the Time of the Judges in Guvrin Forest
The 12th-century B.C. Galon Fortress in the Judean Lowlands, excavated with the help of teenage volunteers, now has new trails, signs and access for visitors.
See where this is ›GAL ON, Israel —
Israel's Keren Kayemet LeYisrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and the Israel Antiquities Authority on Thursday, Oct. 29, inaugurated the restored Galon Fortress in the Guvrin Forest, a site dated to the 12th century B.C., the period described in the Book of Judges, All Israel News reported, citing a KKL-JNF press release.
See where this is ›The fortress stands near Kibbutz Galon, close to Kiryat Gat in the Judean Lowlands south of Jerusalem. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, it was built at a strategic point overlooking the main road along the Guvrin stream that linked the coastal plain with the Judean lowlands.
The building measures about 18 by 18 meters, with watchtowers at its four corners and a massive entrance threshold carved from a single stone weighing about three tons. Excavators found a stone-paved courtyard with a column in the middle, rooms on both sides, and hundreds of pottery vessels, many of them bowls copying Egyptian styles, the authority said when the find was first announced in August 2020.
IAA archaeologists Dr. Saar Ganor and Dr. Itamar Weissbein, who led the dig, believe the fortress was a Canaanite or Egyptian attempt to cope with a changing region as the Israelites and Philistines arrived. “The fortress we found provides a glimpse into the geopolitical reality described in the book of Judges,” they said, describing a land where Canaanites, Israelites and Philistines fought one another. The researchers believe it was later destroyed, probably by the Philistines, after the Egyptians left Canaan.
Much of the digging was done by young people, including students from the Israel studies program at the Multidisciplinary School in Beersheba and from the Nachshon pre-military academy, along with other volunteers.
The new work included excavation, conservation, site development and improved accessibility, with parking, picnic tables and information signs. Speaking at the opening, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the site shows that the struggle over the land is an old story, while KKL-JNF Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky and Ami Shahar, the IAA's deputy director-general for conservation, spoke of preserving such sites and opening them to the public, All Israel News reported.
The Guvrin Forest, developed by KKL-JNF since 1963, covers about 4,400 dunams (about 1,087 acres) of walking trails and picnic areas. The fortress was first opened to visitors free of charge in August 2020.
